Meryl Streep is set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, organizers said Thursday.
The Hollywood star — who earned the best actress award at Cannes in 1989 for her performance in Fred Schepsi’s Evil Angels — will help kick off the 77th edition at the Grand Theatre Lumiere.
“I am immeasurably honored to receive the news of this prestigious award. To win a prize at Cannes, for the international community of artists, has always represented the highest achievement in the art of filmmaking. To stand in the shadow of those who have previously been honored is humbling and thrilling in equal part. I so look forward to coming to France to thank everyone in person this May!” Streep said in a statement.
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She will return to the French festival after a celebrated career in Hollywood over five decades. “We all have something in us of Meryl Streep! We all have something in us of Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, The Bridges of Madison County, The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia! Because she has spanned almost 50 years of cinema and embodied countless masterpieces, Meryl Streep is part of our collective imagination, our shared love of cinema.” Cannes festival heads Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux said in a joint statement.
Streep helping open Cannes will bookend a festival that will conclude on May 25 with awards handed out by an official jury led by president Greta Gerwig.
Past winners of the Cannes honorary Palme d’Or include Jeanne Moreau, Marco Bellocchio, Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jane Fonda, Agnès Varda, Forest Whitaker and Jodie Foster.
